Imagine wearing a large button with the words “Leader” and “Liar” written in opposite directions so that one of the words is always readable to others. How would those you wish to influence position that button on you? Would they say you are a leader or a liar? The comparison [...]

The future of business was foreshadowed in 1984. Not the book 1984 by George Orwell although you might make that case as well. The future we’re talking about appeared in a book titled Silicon Valley Fever written by Ev Rogers and Judith Larson. In their book, Rogers and Larson describe [...]

Everywhere you look someone is talking about corporate culture. It’s easy to see why. The research advocating for a culture that engages your team and makes employees happy is compelling. It is, after all, a sellers’ market for talent, and the best people want to align themselves with companies that [...]

Forty-plus year old rock bands have something in common with forty-plus year old technology companies – it is easy to assume that their best days are behind them. Don’t let age, past success, or media’s fascination with the latest shiny new object fool you. There is nothing that prevents classic [...]

The days of sustaining the status quo are gone. You are either continuously changing to engage and excite your marketplace, or you are responding to impending disruption from someone who was innovating while you slept. True leaders are never found cowering in the corner when presented with this challenge. They [...]

Think globally. Act locally. The phrase entered the zeitgeist decades ago as a call for individuals and communities to consider the long-term impact of their actions on the environment. It has since evolved into use by global businesses as a strategy to serve specific markets and a reason to support [...]

Decisions are a funny thing. You can’t initiate change without them, and yet deciding doesn’t mean that anything will be different. For instance, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced a decision to end U.S. poverty in 1964. There were countless changes, and 50-plus years later, not much is different. The poverty [...]

You could see the discomfort on their faces. A group of talented, committed professional sat in the meeting room as their leader – a key company executive – shared the organization’s strategic vision of the future and made it very clear that everyone would have to change to turn the [...]

The town where I live is a microcosm of the entire country. Most people – especially those who don’t live here – would disagree with my assertion. I am fortunate to live in a community that is economically better off than the U.S. population as a whole. Citizens enjoy a [...]

You’ve been there, right? The celebration kickoff meeting launching your new culture change initiative has come and gone. The optimism and hope for a future resembling the lofty words from the new corporate values statement lasted a few days … maybe even a few weeks. Then, a slow march to [...]